Industry News
NSW work deaths down
According to the NSW state government, the death rate among workers in the state is at a record 20-year low.
[ + ]Pig flu claims its first victims
The death toll from infection with a bacteria commonly found in pigs has reportedly risen to at least 24, with 21 people in critical condition and nearly 40 new cases in south western China's Sichuan province.
[ + ]Safety for teleworkers
Telework New Zealand has released a guide to occupational safety and health for teleworkers. The guide identifies risks and problems that telework-ers working at home could face. It provides a work sheet to help teleworkers identify problem areas. The guide also provides considerable information on ways in which risks can be minimised and avoided.
[ + ]Penalty for workers comp fraud
A St Mary's company, Top Value Furniture Pty Ltd, and its sole director, Frans Lourens Poppeliers, has been found guilty of workers compensation fraud.
[ + ]Hearing loss starts early in construction work
A new study shows construction workers begin sustaining long-term hearing damage in their first three years of work.
[ + ]New workcover ombudsman
The Victorian state government will establish a WorkCover Ombudsman to handle WorkCover and TAC complaints, the latest move in a series of historic reforms to the accident compensation sector in Victoria.
[ + ]New codes of practice and a guidance note for asbestos
The National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) has declared a revised Code of Practice for the Safe Removal of Asbestos 2nd Edition [NOHSC: 2002 (2005)] and a new Code of Practice for the Management and Control of Asbestos in Workplaces [NOHSC:2018 (2005)].
[ + ]Abattoir succeeds in limiting OHS charge
Major NSW abattoir group Rockdale Beef has succeeded in limiting the types of offences NSW WorkCover can charge it with.
[ + ]Alcohol and fire: a bad mix
Most people know that smoking in bed is a fire hazard. But not many know that having a few beers or glasses of wine before bed can increase their risk of becoming a fire fatality - even with a smoke alarm in the house.
[ + ]Dangerous goods expertise is needed
Many companies use and store dangerous goods. These have the potential to cause serious accidents, frequently from causes not apparent to the inexperienced.
[ + ]Employee wellness: good for business
Workplace safety, the prevention of illness and injury, and overall employee wellness are issues of considerable significance for business and communities globally. In Australia, NOHSC estimates that the cost to business of workplace-related injury and illness is AU$27 billion each year.
[ + ]New energy watchdog has more bite
The Victorian Minister for Energy Industries and Resources, Theo Theophanous has announced the amalgamation of Victoria's three energy safety watchdogs to form one office - Energy Safe Victoria.
[ + ]Safety and human behaviour
When an employee is injured, is it due to unsafe conditions or an unsafe act? The answer seems to split OHS professionals neatly into two camps but companies such as Pilz Safe Automation believe there is room for both.
[ + ]Worker killed after falling into meat grinder
A man died when he fell into a meat grinder at a West Australian abattoir recently. The 36-year-old man was working at the Hillside Meats abattoir in Narrogin, 192 km south-east of Perth, when he fell into the meat auger.
[ + ]Power lines and leukemia risk
According to a recent UK study, babies who live near high-voltage power lines are almost twice as likely as others to develop leukemia during childhood.
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